I don’t think the NRL’s referees are beyond criticism, but I don’t like the childish ‘that decision cost us the game’ attitude of some fans, particularly when they cherrypick one moment and ignore the other 79 minutes of the game.
While there are a few detractors of the crackdown the referees have started in 2018, the enforcement of long-standing rules has been generally well received.
This was always going to be a battle of wills between referees and the coaches, and it looks as though the referees are starting to waiver in their resolve and the coaches are getting on top.
The first 15 minutes of the traditional Roosters vs Dragons game on Anzac day were absolutely gripping. St George Illawarra scored a sensational try after just 61 seconds. After that, it was a great battle, with the Roosters slowly gaining the ascendency with more ball and territory.
Then the game stopped flat as the Dragons started spoiler tactics in their own 20. Off the back of defensive scrums, twice Jack de Belin lay all over the attacker on the first tackle to deliberately give away a penalty so his side could reset their defensive line. Farcically, the referees failed to give a penalty on one occasion, so the Red V had to hold down longer and more blatantly on tackle two.
If a professional foul is defined as deliberately giving away a penalty, this was the absolute epitome of a professional foul.
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The Dragons pack are dominating their opposition, but they’re also masters of slowing down the play the ball. De Belin, Tyson Frizell, Tariq Sims and Paul Vaughan, in particular, position themselves as the other defenders peel off the tackle, then use their upper body strength to keep the attacking player pinned to the ground.
The players do release when the ref makes the call, so while they’re pushing the rules to their absolute limit, they’re technically not breaking them. This isn’t necessarily about the Dragons doing anything wrong but with the way the game is officiated.
By the time ref feels he needs to call release, the tackle has already gone on too long, the attack has been sufficiently delayed, and the defensive line has had time to set. It completely kills the game’s momentum and energy.
I know Dragons fans will be saying, “but we only gave away three penalties in that period”. True, but the problem is that the refs allow it to happen for multiple sets before they blow a penalty, and allow multiple penalties before they consider using the sin bin.
While we’re celebrating the use of the sin bin for professional fouls, there is set after set where the play is slowed to a snail’s pace before any action is taken. This is supposed to be a crackdown.
The coaches are winning.
(AAP Image/Michael Chambers)
This isn’t the refs’ fault. This didn’t cost the Roosters the game. The Dragons dominated and absolutely deserved their victory.
The Dragons are far from the only team playing this way too – although Wednesday’s game was possibly the most blatant example I’ve seen this season.
I attended the dour Bulldogs vs Roosters Round 7 game at ANZ, in which the Roosters’ defence was consistently offside. I watched a replay of the game (sucker for punishment) and it doesn’t really show up on television, it just looked like the Roosters had good line speed and were out-enthusing their opposition. But play after play, set after set, the Roosters were standing well in front of the referee.
To the referee’s credit, they actually penalised the Roosters several times for offside, but the penalties come once every three or four sets. With six plays per set, it’s up to 24 instances where the defensive line is offside before action is taken. That seems an acceptable risk for a coach.
The other thing I noticed is that once they’d get pinged, the Tricolours would be good for a set or two getting back onside, but they’d start breaking the line early, so the effect was the same. It was too coordinated to be anything but a deliberate tactic. Then they’d start creeping offside again.
The refs are painted into a corner. Penalties are their only way out. To officiate properly they’d need to blow the pea out of the whistle and they’re already copping a pasting.
The coaches are winning.
This isn’t a ref’s fault. The Bulldogs attack was less than ordinary that night. They had enough ball and territory, particularly in the first 20 minutes of the second half, to win five games. They just weren’t good enough.
Then we get onto the interpretations the refs are trying to create.
Nene MacDonald may have had the fingernail of his little finger still in contact with the ball, but that isn’t really relevant. What is relevant is that while trying to ground the ball, he lost control of it, never regained control, and dropped it over the line despite the presence of that fingernail.
But the refs try to create a black-and-white interpretation. They consider separation more important than control because it’s less subjective. But the end result is we get decisions like this, where anyone with more than five minutes watching the game knows it’s wrong but technically correct by the interpretation.
Obstructions are determined the same way. A set of criteria allows the refs to make ‘objective’ decisions, completely ignoring critical factors like whether the defender would have been able to prevent the try or whether the defensive line was interrupted as a result of the obstruction. The end result is we get tries disallowed that, from a football perspective, are fair but fall down on referee-designed criteria.
The end result of all of this is we’re ending up with a game that’s moving further away from what we know as rugby league.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
I don't mind the referees playing to the laws of the game, this should always have been the case. Some teams are either very slow on the uptake or the coaches are getting the players to push it. My view is the the refs and the game should win. On that decision cost us the game commen t, it can be the case where a referee has penalised a team for a specific infraction througjht out the game but doesn't in the last few minutes and we have all seen this.
Birdy
Guest
Hi Baz, It was an article someone had to write. I only hope Gus reads it. Everything I could have said is already in the comment section. I hope the refs have another crack at pulling the coaches into line, my pet hate over the last 20 years is forward passes and off side from dummy half. Sole destroying to see it last so long. Keep penalizing and sin binning ref. It was once thought that if Cameron Smith took out the ref's wife he still wouldn't get penalised the next game. If the refs back off now he'll be taking out their daughters too.?
JOHNY BULLDOG
Roar Rookie
Good common sense article Baz,well done mate,I hope someone from the NRL reads it!
This Guy
Guest
"anti dragon sentiment as usual" Someones paranoid...i don't think I've ever heard anyone have a go at the dragons...a bit wimpish mate!
3 recalcitrant monkeys
Guest
So honestly how would you have called slater's dropping the ball a half a metre in front of his foot whether kicks it or not in a game situation?
The Barry
Roar Guru
The bunny-ohs are MIA today...probably still blaming Josh Morris for last night's defeat. Don't worry about being a fan boy...you're not the lone ranger...
John
Guest
I don't know if the game is being over reffed as opposed to the teams are pushing the envelope too much. While we are trying to hold refs accountable for their actions, why do we give coaches who are constantly getting their teams to overstep the boundaries a free pass? If that mentality keeps going on, we will just seeing shifting of goalposts.
Michael Keeffe
Roar Guru
I agree but I think I would go a bit harder on it. Max 2 penalties and the third one goes. It will cut it right out.
matt h
Guest
My Dad always told me that 'fools seldom differ', but sure let's go with Great Minds :-)
matt h
Guest
Well played
PNG Broncos fan88
Roar Guru
Bellamy triumphed at Suncorp last week. He and Smith have resumed control over the NRL and the officials. Knock on try awarded and warranted sin bin for the last 10mins in first half totally ignored. Big momentum killers for my team, and a 100% influenced the result of that match. Talk about playing teams into form, well done refs!
The Barry
Roar Guru
Thanks Paul. I’m glad you can see I’m only using the Dragons as an example and not trying to single them out. The refs only have two solutions - blow penalties and use the bin. But they’re already wavering. How palatable would it be if the refs came out next week, upped the ante and blew the peas out of their whistles? I could live with it but what about in six weeks time if no one blinks? The headlines tend to go “referees ruining the game” not “coaches ruining the game through stubborn pig headedness. I think the refs need to look at the intent. If it’s looking deliberate I think they need to use the bin. I hate to target JDB (again) but his holding down penalties off the scrums were as blatant as I’ve seen.
Nat
Roar Guru
It is a shame that it appears that the refs are the ones who broke first. The Broncos/Storm game week was similar insofar as the offside. But this was not in certain positions on the field to reset their defensive line, this was a constant. There were the intentionals inside the 10, and Smithy discussing it at length with the clock running, yet no one went to the bin. So why wouldn't every other team be coached to 'resume normal transmission' when the refs have lowered the bar again? At least the PTBs are better.
Big Daddy
Guest
The trouble is the game is being over reffed. If the people in charge of the referees is telling them to blow more penalties in the play the ball and ten metres but ignoring other things like 20 metre restarts where no one is onside. It was only a few weeks ago where we heard refs asking how many penalties have I blown. Dubious decisions in the bunker still emphasise its an in individual making a decision and they should be held accountable.
Matt
Guest
I hate ref bashing. I started refereeing games when I was 14 to help my soft drink and pie addiction. It didn't matter what level you refereed, from U7's to A Grade there was some peanut who thought you did something that cost a team a game. I can cop criticism, if there is no feedback, you can't improve. What I can't cop is the people going off who don't know the rules. Last week Slater scores a try that he didn't think was a try, fair play to him, but it was in fact a try. Well played ref's. What I think clouds the judgement of the bunker is that they slow the footage down. Watch it once in normal speed. Watch it in slow motion. And then watch it again normal speed. If it looks like it wasn't a try in normal speed. It isn't a try.
Michael Keeffe
Roar Guru
"It's hard to hear ten people in a 40k crowd" Gold. Made my day
Emcie
Roar Guru
I'm hoping it was because if thats how things are going to be officiated from now on we're in trouble. I think its safe to say that everyone was expecting a slight softening after the crackdown once the standards had been established (which is how a crackdown is supposed to work) but the refs basicly just gave the keys back to the coaches in that game, and there's been a few periods in games over the last round or two where teams have been allowed to be very cynical in defence, hopefully its not the start of a resurgence. I'm with you on origin though. Keep players onside and keep the play the ball clean sure but Origin isn't the place to get pedantic
jimmmy
Guest
Good reasoned article TB. Firstly the Refs were always going to blink first. The coaches knew this and just told their players to grin and bear it till it settled down. The only way to resolve it is to have a hard and fast rule , three penalties maximum for sloing down the ruck in the 20m zone. Atm it’s a Dogs (no pun intended) breakfast . Spread the penalties out and you are OK . Four in a row and someone PROBABLY goes. I am generally opposed to hard , fast rules. His what caused the Slater atrocity and the Hodgson one as well but in this case I see no alternative. Whether it is a five or 10 min bin , I am not sure but players must go . If that happens behaviour will change.
Peter Phelps
Guest
But if Slater's try hadn't been awarded, it could have changed the momentum of the game and the Broncos could have scored on the very next set and end up winning the game. They would have collected the 2 points and the score differential. It could also have undermined the Storm's confidence and we could have seen a return to their disjointed fumbling display of earlier games when they played the Warriors on Thursday night. Not awarding Slater that try could have had massive impacts on the competition. All of that would have been a travesty of justice because Slater's try was a try. The ref said so, the video ref said so, the NRL match review committee said it was a try and the rule book says it was a try. If Billy had not been awarded that try ........
Nat
Roar Guru
Hi FT, You've held this position ever since the Manly/Panthers Qtr Final last year. Most people were pointing to the hypocrisy (and I don't mean to offend with that word) due to the Newcastle game but the two are not comparable. A dropped try that is not reviewed to the bunker is an obvious mistake and (correct me if I'm wrong) the go ahead try. Comparing that to a 50/50 offside call, whether that is Walker (at the 50th minute with Manly already leading & next to score) in the finals or the 1st defensive set (as you've highlighted), is very different. Barry, and most others, acknowledge a call can swing momentum but a favourable call that goes to your team, thus swinging momentum back, is rarely highlighted.